


Changing Scenery

by simulacraryn



Series: Writing Prompts [6]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Because nobody really pays attention to the support cast, Friendship, Gen, Life After the Wars, Life Changes, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Post Series, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-06-10 10:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simulacraryn/pseuds/simulacraryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Drabble Collection] - After the Wars, nobody truly stayed the same. In all honesty, nobody really knew just how much life changed when there was nothing to fight over. Sure, the pilots moved on to the next adventure - but what about the others who helped along the way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Smoke and Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Another wonderful photoprompt challenge! Except this drabble series will focus mostly on the characters who supported the main Pilots. Sure, we'll see the boys, but I wish to highlight the likes of Hilde, Catherine and the other wonderfully kick ass counterparts the wars had. :) 
> 
> This one can be found here: http://chemicalcrush.tumblr.com/post/144763274330/simulacraryn-claraxbarton-simulacraryn

Sometimes a girl needed to relax.

Usually for most women that entailed a long bubble bath. But when you live in L2, where you can barely afford to have a decent sized shower in your barely there slum of an apartment the thought of a bubble bath goes on to join the rest of the dreams you gave up on. Like actually affording a vacation… But Hilde pushed those thoughts aside and snuck to her favorite place in her and Duo’s hole of an apartment. Rummaging through the contents of the box near the day bed, Hilde found Duo’s pack of cigarettes.

He could spare one after nearly blowing up the yard, right?

She lights up the cigarette, taking a deep inhale of it’s putrid smoke. A content look crossed her face, exhaling. “Hilde…”

“Yes, Duo?”

“Have you thought of moving Earth Side?”

A pang fills her chest.

“Never been outta the colonies.”

“Ain’t like we are making a living here anyways,” He counters, the offer one she never thought of.

“Maybe it is time we find something new.”


	2. Gravity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration was taken from http://blu3glow.tumblr.com/post/142943103664/sicsen-glow-blog this :)

When Duo first said it was perhaps time to go from Space to Earth, Hilde hadn't expected it to have been so sudden. She truly hadn't known Duo had been planning this move for a while and it had shocked her that he had already chosen a place and held tickets for a shuttle ride. All the possessions that held no value to her or him were given away to those in need and that which she needed the most - like mementos from her parents, were shipped Earth side. To say that Hilde's body hadn't been prepared to enter the atmosphere was a given, but the battery of tests and the extended hospital stay that came with your first time entering Earth wasn't something she was prepared for. Duo hadn't been allowed to enter the series of inoculations, as it was a containment room for these cases - but instead, her nurse was a familiar face.

"I need you to relax your arm," came the stern voice of Heero Yuy, RN. When Duo and Hilde first saw their old comrade, wearing the familiar scrubs of ESUN's primary hospital centre in Japan, the shock overcame them. Hilde deduced that she would be in good hands and allowed her arm to go limp. Needles were just standard for her at this point, but the pain of gravity? Now that was a bitch of a different kind. 

"You're much better than Duo at this." 

The rare show of personality from Heero had made go by smoothly for Hilde. 

"How are you liking Earth?" - He says, typing something unto his tablet-link. Hilde breathed in, struggling against the forces her body had yet to acclimate to - "Love it..."

"You'll love it more once you're out of hyperbaric. Doc said you need a month in it, plus physical therapy to begin building muscle mass again. The change from colony manufactured gravity, space travel and finally arriving on Earth did some minor damage we can reverse." - She felt useless in that moment, but grateful that Relena and her girlfriend had agreed to host them until she was capable of functioning on Earth. With the help of her walking cane, Hilde worked her way to her feet. Heero reached to help her, offering a rare smile. How...strange, right?

"When do you think I can actually..."

"Don't stress yourself. For now, worry about getting settled - Duo though it out..."

"Why, why do I sense a for once there?" - She asks, trying hard not to laugh at Heero's twisted sense of humor.

"Because, it's Duo."


	3. Hyped.

It took longer than expected to let Hilde leave the hospital, but Duo took the time to begin working and ensuring everything would be comfortable for when Hilde would come out of the hospital. Relena and Dorothy had been a godsend, especially Dorothy using her connections to find them a nice house near his workplace. When Hilde came home to find everything Duo had worked for, she'd been surprised again. It'd been hard to realize that Duo perhaps was trying to tell her something. "I think," - Heero's familiar baritone broke the silence - "That Duo is trying to tell you he's serious about being with you for the long haul. Then again..." - The nurse trailed off and from the corner of Hilde's eye she saw the subtle way his hand and Sally's joined together. She'd been meaning to ask when it'd happened, especially when everyone thought it'd be Wufei and Sally to end together. Not one to press matters, Hilde just offered a knowing grin in the couple's direction.

The less Duo knew about them, she easier it would be for the heavily introverted Heero.

"Then again what, Heero?" - Duo called from the stairs, oblivious to the not so low key hand holding. - "You know Sally, you really should get Heero to finish his statements."

The well practiced poker face was out the window, Hilde noticed. - "Duo, how about you let Heero finish his statements whenever he damn well feels like it?"

"What's the fun in that? I mean, I'd pick on him and Sally's relationship...but he threatened to throw me into a cryogenic pod."

"Heero!"- Sally admonished - "Nobody wants Duo to wake up still acting like he is now!"

There's a round of laughter from everyone except Duo. Instead the braided man gave a light pout, resigned to shake his head: "It's all fun and games until you start hurting my pride, Doc."


	4. Curses and Revelations

The pace of life had been a different one on Earth. Unlike the colonies where everyone almost knew everyone, Earth was far more spread out. Duo had easily found work with Howard as a mechanic for Preventers. Hilde had been putting in applications and trying her hand at various ideas that Dorothy suggested as a source of employ. Cautiously looking through the stacks of clippings the blonde had left on her coffee table, Hilde sighed. If the colonies had been difficult and bare in mind, she had her own business back then...Earth was just as complicated. A loud ring jolted her from the reverie and Hilde took the device in her hands to answer it.

"Hello,"

"Good Afternoon, this is Ellis Mortrand with Nahme International..."- Hilde's breathed hitched in her throat. Nahme International was one of the places she thought would be a long shot to apply to. But applying to work at their local scrap yard as a manager had been on the short list of things she had considered doing until she could get into school. Somewhere this all stunk of Dorothy and Relena's interference and she wouldn't dare complain about the favor. Listening to Ellis speaking, Hilde couldn't contain her joy. As the man ran through the logistics of the interview, Hilde couldn't contain her excitement. 

"I'll be there, Mr. Mortrand."

"I will see you at ten sharp, Ms. Schbeiker. Let Marla, my secretary know of your appointment when you come in."

When the conversation finished, Hilde took one look at her closet... "Shit."

She had nothing to wear for this interview! Grabbing her bag and keys, she raced out of the house to get a hold of Duo so she could buy something nice to wear to this interview.


	5. After Wars

Heero Yuy had been extremely busy working extra shifts at the hospital as of late. The changes in weather meant plenty of reckless drivers getting into accidents. The trauma centre had been filled to the brim with patients and Heero did his best to shoulder the load of people coming in. The rush of the ER had been a soothing rhythm for Heero in his post-war days, a change of pace from the life people expected him to live. Somehow the thought of joining Preventers to be used as a weapon again did not seem like his cup of tea. It'd been then that with Sally's encouragement, Heero chose for the first time in his life where he'd end up at.

Nursing School had been a blessing he'd not realized was his calling and now he lived for healthcare. On nights like this, where he'd get home exhausted to find Sally had left a meal made he was glad to have her in his life. Their lives as healthcare professionals meant long hours on their feet, no time to get a decent meal - almost like being at war. This time in between saving a patient's life or losing them to the clutches of death. How irony works for you, right?

The feint glow from the living room told Heero what happened and instead of eating his dinner, he made his way to the other room. The telly was on some sort of show he did not recognize and he could almost bet who fell asleep watching it. His eyes scanned the couch as Sally slept peacefully, curled awkwardly into the throw blanket. He grinned, leaning in to scoop up his girlfriend and carry her off to where she could sleep comfortably. The meal could wait until after he'd showered...or until he woke up next.


	6. New Aide

It wasn't like Relena to outright express dislike about anyone at random, but this particular person Jules Mertrand had done everything imaginable to earn her contempt. She did not comprehend why her darling wife had to always send the annoying bastard on errands involving Relena's office. There was the fact that Jules was always 'innocuously' flirting with Dorothy, in the hopes that the Romefeller Heiress would pay him some attention. Having been around the former members of the nefarious organization, as well as her brother, Relena had become jaded at the attention that came with having a title. People would come around like vultures, trying to see what they can gain out of currying favor.

And in her seasoned eyes, Jules Mertrand was exactly that; a Vulture. One that made Relena smirk in a predatory fashion when he turns towards her door. Her shoulders relax, if only briefly as she commands: "Enter." 

"Madam Minister," - Mertrand greets, smarmy in his posture and it's enough for Relena to desire ownership of some sort of blunt object. "Miss Doroth-" He barely managed to get the sentence started when Relena hissed in his direction. Annoyance no longer ebbing at the top of her skin, but exuding itself in her mannerisms. How _dare_ he?

"Duchess Catalonia," - Relena corrected venomously. - "Mister Mertrand, I believe my wife hired you as her aide in the Romefeller Foundation, am I correct?" 

The barely there tremor was enough for Relena to continue her verbal assault. -"If I recall, Romefeller prided itself in it's rich aristocratic history and while I personally refuse to answer to my title as the Queen of the Sanq Kingdom, my wife still answers to hers. If I am correct, it was Su Alteza Real Dorothy Teresa de Catalonia, Princessa de Asturias, Gerona y Viana, Duquesa de Montblanch, Condesa de Cervera, Señora de Balaguer. In English, she is Her Royal Highness, Princess Dorothy Teresa of Catalonia, Princess of Asturias, Gerona and Viana, Duchess of Montblanc, Countess of Cervera and Lady of Balaguer. It will do you well to remember your honorifics, Mister Mertrand as if I were say... a former member of OZ, I'd likely be challenging you to a duel for the honor of my wife. Now..."

Her eyes went to the wall, where her fencing sword resided in it's sheath. Mertrand blanched significantly as Relena turned her murderous gaze unto him -"Leave your missive on the desk and leave my sight."

Once the man was gone, Relena eased her posture and grinned. A few minutes later her phone began to ring... she placed it on speaker and said -"How did I do?"

"Superb, I needed a new aide anyways."


	7. Witch Hunt

"Hilde Schbeiker, follow me."

The fear settled in the pit of Hilde's stomach. She'd only been two months with Nahme International and when one of her managers, Swan, showed up to her cubicle... she'd just _known_. It did not hurt any less, quite frankly. But being led to the office, like a child, felt so awful. What occurred next had been a blur for Hilde. A severance package, no real reason outside of the fact "she did not fit what Nahme Int. looked for as a company". She went through the motions, held her head high...cried. She wanted to scream, but kept some sort of composure. Once she was escorted out of the building, Hilde allowed herself a moment to scream into the air. Tears poured from her eyes until they felt puffy and tired.

Her breathing became labored, anxiety beginning to trigger her vaghus nerve. Hilde heaved until vile rose at the back of her throat, the rancid remains of what had once been a brownie escaping through her mouth and until someone's shoes. Hilde never apologizes, simply shaking and crying in a single spot.

Eventually, with shaky hands she takes her phone and calls home.

They wanted to do this, fine... she'd find another fucking job.


End file.
